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Spencer was not usually like this, he really isn’t a hopeless romantic. At least, that’s what he thought before he met her. She changed him, made him act like some fool, but he wasn’t upset about it. Any time he could be with her, even when he was reduced to a stuttering idiot, was heaven for him.
Spencer had connected with the new team member almost immediately, when he listed off ten facts about the coffee she was holding and she smiled instead of giving him an odd look. It was then, that he decided he liked her. Ever since then they have become great friends, going to bookshops together after work, sharing hotel rooms, and even having Doctor Who marathons in Spencer’s small apartment. Somewhere along the line, the Doctor started feeling more than just a platonic attachment to her.
Maybe it was the way she bounced into work each morning, her hair flying everywhere, a skip in her step. Maybe it was the way she always came prepared with a coffee filled with way too much sugar for him, or maybe it was the way she seemed to just know when a case had gotten to him and she would put a careful hand on his shoulder, listening to his feelings without interrupting him. Perhaps it was the way he felt like he had no purpose without her. He really wasn’t sure when or why it happened, but he was in love with his best friend. And he needed an outlet, just a way to relieve some of the pressure of the overwhelming- almost crushing tenderness he felt for her. Since he knew playful flirting wouldn’t exactly work out for him, he decided to praise her in Latin, a language he was positive she didn’t speak.
The first time it happened, they were sitting on the couch of the jet together after a long case, sharing her favorite green wool blanket. She had scooted closer to him, so close she was nearly on his lap. He glanced down at her, a fond smile crossing his face. “What are you doing?” He gently asked, trying not to wake up anyone on the jet.
“Nothing, just read to me. Please?” She hummed, her eyes dropping. And how could he say no to her when she looked like a sleepy kitten? So he continued reading The Illustrated Man, continuously glancing down at her, memorizing the way her head was almost resting on his shoulder, the way her eyes scanned the page, and the way her small hands clutched the thick blanket. And then it just slipped out,
“Te adorandam” He said it so quietly he thought she couldn’t have possibly heard it.
“What’s that mean? You know I don’t understand Latin,” She let out a tired giggled, looking up at him.
He opened and shut his mouth a few times before choosing the safest response, “It just means I’m almost finished with this book.” She knew he was lying as soon as the words tumbled from his mouth, but she decided not to push him. Not today, not after the exhausting case.
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The next time he did this, it was a rainy day and the team was stuck inside for a calm paperwork day. Spencer was half sitting on her desk, listening to her ramble about her new kitten she had fostered over the weekend.
“…and then he just curled up on me and fell asleep! He’s so cute!” She had practically squealed, and for once Spencer didn’t mind the loud noise, not as long as it came from her. If he was being completely honest, he hadn’t been listening to her ramble about Mr.Whiskers, he was too distracted by the way she used her hands to talk and how her head bobbed up and down whenever she spoke about something she was passionate about.
“Spence! Were you even listening to me?” She asked him, trying to sound severe.
“Honestly? Not really,” He smirked the tiniest bit before she slapped his arm, and they erupted into obnoxious laughter. “Okay, I’m sorry, stop hitting me!” She listened and it looked like she was about to go into another tangent about Mr.Whiskers when he interrupted her with a small whisper.
“Omne es, ama.” It felt good to tell her this, even if she couldn’t understand him. It was almost therapeutic.
He watched as her face turned into a mixture of frustration and confusion. “Okay come on, tell me what that means. And be serious this time! I know you weren’t telling the truth on the jet. Remember, you can’t hide anything from me, Doc.” She waved her finger at him. If only she knew how wrong she was.
“You’re too nosy for your own good,” He smiled at her bewildered expression before hopping off her desk and walking away.
“W- what? Too nosy? We can’t be too nosy! We’re FBI agents!” She yelled out after him, miffed by the way he didn’t even acknowledge he heard her. She quickly got back to her paperwork after JJ had shushed her. But she had a plan. She was going to learn Latin.
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The third time it happened, she had shown up on his doorstep, her arms filled with two bags of popcorn, a tub of vanilla ice cream, and a bag with a stack of dvd’s inside. “Spence! Open the door, my hands are full!” She yelled through the door.
He jumped up from the couch, already having been waiting for her. They did this every Friday night, as a way to relax and recover from the horrors they had seen throughout the week. This was definitely Spencer’s favorite day of the week, but little did he know, this was her favorite day too. When he reached the door, he paused before turning the handle, taking a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He really didn’t want to show her just how much she affected him. After a few deep breaths, he swung open the door, almost melting at the sight of her with their favorite treats and her big sweater on. He always loved the way she looked when she wasn’t in her work clothes, maybe it was how comfortable and effortlessly charming she looked.
“Are you gonna stand there or help me carry this stuff in? It’s kinda heavy,” She laughed.
“S- sure, yeah.” And he grabbed the food, putting it on his coffee table in front of the television she had forced him to buy months ago, telling him even ninety year olds had tv’s.
“Since last time you chose The Mandalorian, It’s my turn. I brought over a few options, we have Mean Girls, Clueless, or White Chicks. And I’m feeling particularly nice today, so you can pick,” She smiled at him, finally taking a moment to survey his messy hair, loose white shirt and gray sweatpants. She faintly felt her chest get hotter but she quickly cleared her throat, trying to avoid looking at him.
“Hm, these all sound..horrible but we should probably go with Clueless.” He sighed, but by the smitten look on his face, she knew he wasn’t annoyed at all. They sat down and started up the movie, with the girl next to him laughing at how Cher seemed so… clueless most of the time. Spencer couldn’t pay much attention after he realized how she scooted closer to him, closing the small gap between them. How could he watch a movie when all he could think about was how she smelled like lavender and vanilla, or how contagious her laugh is? And so he finally decided to say it outloud, it was just too much to keep to himself. He wished the whole world could know how he felt about the brilliant girl next to him. “What’s the worst that could happen? She can’t reject you, she won’t know what you’re even saying.” A small voice nagged.
“Te amo.” I love you. It came out so quickly, but the words felt natural for him. Like this was supposed to happen, like maybe the universe had finally given him a good thing.
Without even looking away from the television, she declared, as clear as day, “te quoque amo” I love you too.
He was frozen, his eyes glued to the side of her face. It felt like the room had dropped several degrees, and time had stopped. He couldn’t even hear the tv, all he could hear was her voice echoing in his head, telling him she loved him too. She turned to face him, grabbing his hands with a huge smile stuck on her face. “I learned some Latin. Be honest, are you impressed, Doc?” She giggled, seemingly not phased at all by his love confession.
He was still in shock, but managed to sputter out, “You- you what? J- just say it again, please. Say it again.”
“Spencer Walter Reid, I love-” She was cut off when he grabbed her by the back of her head, pressing his slightly chapped lips to her soft ones, and they moved in sync, feeling a deep warm spark in their chests when she could feel his huge smile through the kiss, and soon she was smiling too, not able to stop when she felt his deep chuckle rumble throughout her whole body.
“I guess It’s a good thing I learned Latin, huh?” She asked, just a little breathless.
“Definitely.” He replied, looking at her like she was the sun. Because to him, she really was.